


Are you out of your mind?

by BOYMEETSEVlL



Category: EXO (Band), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 10:17:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19867957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BOYMEETSEVlL/pseuds/BOYMEETSEVlL
Summary: Byun Baekhyun, a pure―blooded Slytherin, who is also regarded as the heir of Salazar by his entire school, has never exactly been on good terms with a particular Gryffindor and the captain of the Quidditch team, Park Chanyeol.And after the younger manages to win a duel between the two, Baekhyun finds himself interested in the Gryffindor's skills. But was it only his magical skills the Slytherin was interested in? Or was it something more than that?





	Are you out of your mind?

The dreadful sound of the alarm clock situated on his bedside reached his ears, as the male kicked off the silken sheets on the floor of the Slytherin dormitory, as he groggily climbed out of his bed. It was weekend, and knowing how everyone had always been crazy over going to Hogsmeade, and Hogsmeade in general, Baekhyun could already guess that he'd most certainly be alone in the castle for that day, if not, the entire weekend.

Given that nobody who would count as a legal parent or tutor managed to sign the paper which was necessary to have in order to attend Hogsmeade, Baekhyun always knew that once weekends rolled off, he was to be alone for a good two days, unbothered by his stinky housemates and the rest of the school ― a bunch of total wankers who, if offered to live in the Honey Dukes basement, would have gladly accepted.

As it seemed, the Slytherin dormitory and common room were both empty, and Baekhyun could only imagine that the others had already left for Hogsmeade, without waking him up, probably aware of the unleashed wrath of the sixth year boy once someone was to accidentally wake him up ― as proved in his fourth year at Hogwarts, when he set a loud second year's hair on fire, after the boy began yawning and groaning obnoxiously at 5 AM.

Regardless, Baekhyun would be known by many as a dangerous individual, and he was no stranger to the constant mocking and name calling coming from the other students, which had not ceased, not even from his first year at Hogwarts, the school that everyone was supposedly attending in order to both accumulate a sturdy package of extensive knowledge and experience, and also feel welcomed.

However, the last part was in no possible way, relatable for Baekhyun, who, despite the signature ignorant and aloof attitude that he often displayed in front of the ones bad mouthing him, considered his six years at Hogwarts the worst, in his entire life. And not only because of the foolish, big brutes who were relentlessly bullying him, but also because Baekhyun was not pleased with himself, either.

The Sorting Hat had managed to call out his house in a matter of milliseconds, as though Baekhyun was literally born and brought on Earth to live as the embodiment of the perfect Slytherin student ― coming from a wealthy, pure―blooded family was not just a big deal, but was used by many as a personality trait.

Many thought that this type of information concerning individuals could easily be used against them, and as a result, Baekhyun was soon to become a standard stereotype, being seen as nothing more than a possible Death Eater, and possibly the heir of Salazar Slytherin. It all seemed rather far―fetched, but even Baekhyun himself did not entirely discard the possibility of this all being, in fact, a truth.

Come to think about it ― Baekhyun's entire bloodline had been sorted into Slytherin, and both his father and other relatives of his, such as his uncle and cousin were Death Eaters. And in the magical world, your roots defined you, almost like you weren't able to have a personality on your own, but rather let the others associate you with your peers.

He had never exactly given it much thought, since he had greater concerns, besides the actual message which lay beneath the layers of mocking belonging to his schoolmates, who had most likely jumped into the bandwagon of badmouthing him, without comprehending the meaning of their words and the source of the rumour they were, whether involuntarily of voluntarily, spreading.

Baekhyun and his family had many secrets, and most of them could not be spoken. He was taught by his father, before he was imprisoned in Azkaban, to never trust anyone, and so he did. Not many teenagers would have truly complied to the words of a murderer and the reason why their entire reputation and social image fell apart, but Baekhyun sure did.

He was more aware than anyone else that his father was a criminal who deserved to be burnt alive or be left t90p0 rot in Azkaban, which was also probably the way in which he will die, but before he became an adept of Voldemort, he was Baekhyun's father. Not all parents, however, wanted the best for their children, and most would claim that neither did Mister Byun.

But Baekhyun learned to turn deaf to what the others said, and let his instinct guide him through life ― and his gut feeling told him to trust nobody. It was harsh to isolate yourself from the entire society surrounding you, but Baekhyun was also taught that everything that was difficult to carry out always turned out to be rewarding at some point.

He did have acquaintances that would most of the time refer to Baekhyun as their friend, but that was anything but mutual. He viewed them as his own distraction, the only ones who could possibly keep him sane. They were nothing more than distractions, and Baekhyun had to acknowledge that and not let himself be misguided by his primary need to make pals.

They weren't necessarily pathetic, but given that they usually refrained from badmouthing Baekhyun and even defended him in front of the others, they weren't exactly half bad, to say so, and as difficult as it would have been to admit it, Baekhyun was quite grateful that such people existed.

Most male students his age would strut off the corridors with a new arm slung around their necks every week, or every day in some cases, would chat endlessly about the girls walking past them and send each other love letters or confessions. But Baekhyun couldn't care less about all that ― and not only because he considered for it to be a matter that would have been able to waste his braincells.

It was barely November, and there was a long way to go until summer holiday, which was also known as the most awaited time of the year, at least by Baekhyun, who would have done absolutely anything to get out of the dreadful ruin people would call the greatest school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It wasn't like he actually enjoyed going home to his mother and her antics, but anywhere was better than at Hogwarts. 

Ever since his father was taken to Azkaban, his mother grew closer and closer to her son, contrary to the common belief, which bothered Baekhyun greatly. He wished to be left alone and live a life on his own, even though he was very aware that did not withhold enough skill or patience to make a living on his own. And he did not have a proper purpose either.

Summer holidays were monotonous and time went by slowly, which wasn't neither entirely good, nor bad. But knowing that he would sooner or later come back to Hogwarts, regardless of how slow of how fast the time passed, was horrendous. He would have rather spent the rest of his life locked up in a cabin, without light or connections to anyone, rather than study, eat and sleep at Hogwarts.

Right now, Baekhyun found himself out of the bathroom after his usual monotonous and totally the opposite the term entertaining, morning routine, being more than likely the only one around who actually followed one, judging from the horrid smell that could be easily sensed around the Slytherin dormitory.

He had no intention of going downstairs and have breakfast with the remaining students, whatsoever, but because he was also not willing to face Headmistress Kang lecture him and being up for the nth time, how many times he had skipped all of the three meals, he had finally convinced himself to go. The possibility that he was already late were high, but that did not matter too much to him.

The cloak hugging his slender figure began feeling tight around his framework, which made him wonder if he had possibly gained any weight, but judging from his oddly lean limbs, it was quite clear that he had actually grown, and not gained weight, which was both a relief and an unimportant piece of information for Baekhyun.

The corridors were almost empty, most of the students roaming around the castle being either first or second years who would not hesitate to run away out of fear when noticing Baekhyun walking past them, with his head hanging low, and an obviously negative aura ingrained in his bones.

He remained quiet, and the way to the Great Hall did not present any unpleasant encounters, but once he slipped past the large, mahogany doors and stepped into the tremendous room that held not more than around fifty students, unlike in the other days when there were more than six hundred gathered inside it, everything changed.

From the corner of his eye, Baekhyun could not help but notice five boys, only two of them wearing their uniforms properly, perking their heads up once they noticed the Slytherin boy suddenly appearing in the Great Hall. Three of them began waving their hands frantically at him, motioning at him to go join them at the table.

Baekhyun was uncertain of what to do. He should have totally pretended to ignore them and shrug off their entire existence, but did not do so, possibly because he did not feel capable of simply walking past them and risk the five boys to comprehend the fact that he was in fact ignoring them. He simply averted his gaze towards them, reluctantly, staring blankly.

It wasn't everyday when he saw people do that, when he saw people being so inviting, instead of tossing insults and names at him. Baekhyun did not get offended easily and learned how to not mind the ones badmouthing him and his family, but witnessing people who actually took their time to make him feel welcomed was something else.

He knew most of those guys, and although none of them was a Slytherin, it was pleasant to see the diversity of students of the school. Of course, if the students weren't part of the big brutes who usually ganged up against him. Baekhyun blinked a few times, adjusting his view, and as though involuntary, he headed to the table that the five boys sat at.

He did not speak a single word, until he finally took a seat next to a boy who was, according to the emblem embroidered on his chest, a Hufflepuff. Baekhyun heard many people call out the ones belonging to that house mostly for their so called "uselessness", and although he used to have the same initial impression regarding them, that was soon to change.

The others, who sat across him, were Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw, while the other boy seating next to the Hufflepuff belonged to the same house. Baekhyun remained quiet, but did notice the questioning stares coming from a two particular Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students, who exchanged looks with each other.

The Ravenclaw seemed to not have even noticed Baekhyun, as he kept at blindly stabbing the omelette in front of him with his fork, ending up to bringing little to no actual food to his mouth, while being immersed into reading a book placed on his lap. Baekhyun felt like a stranger, and did not dare to even pick at his own food before the Hufflepuff beside him spoke up.

"Good morning, hyung. " his voice was rather nasal, yet it was clear that the honey tinting his vowels was genuine, given the bright smile that had decorated his tanned features. Baekhyun complied to the greeting by nodding his head in acknowledgement towards the boy, then reached for his fork, as the others, except for the Ravenclaw, beamed towards the Slytherin student.

"We were sure you wouldn't even blink an eye at us." one of the Gryffindors claimed, emphasising the situation by jerking his index finger forward in order to point at Baekhyun, who did not react in any way. "You usually ignore everyone around you, including us. But we're glad you joined us."

He seemed quite carefree, for sure, and Baekhyun just nodded his head yet again, comprehending the information he had just received. He knew who the boy was, most likely because he was the only one who was his upperclassman, at that table ― Kim Minseok was a half―blooded wizard, known for his talent when it came to both Quidditch and Care for Magical Creatures.

Unlike him, Baekhyun did not particularly excel at anything, and his scores were average, if not below average. He had barely brought himself to pass both his O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's, and was rather close to receiving a Troll mark in both Potions and History of Magic. But no, he was not jealous in any way, when it came to students with greater achievements than him. Mostly because he both did not care too much about it, and found the grading system corrupted and unneeded.

Besides, Minseok had a point. Baekhyun ignored everyone around him, occasionally even his own teachers, which was rather uncalled for and usually earned him either a long, overwhelming lecture, or even detention, if he acted all deaf with stricter teachers, such as his Transfiguration professor, Mrs. Yoon, who made him clean up three classrooms, without using magic, just because Baekhyun ignored one of her warnings. 

He sometimes regarded the fact that he was sorted in Slytherin, a curse, rather than a blessing. Most would turn heads when Slytherins walked down the hall, stereotyping them, and unfortunately, that worked for some teachers as well. Being biased was not entirely wrong, especially when you were the Head of a specific house, but putting students at obvious disadvantage just because they belonged to a different house, was not acceptable.

Baekhyun began eating his omelette silently, accidentally scowling once he felt a piece of prosciutto get stuck between two of his pre―molars, but was able to get rid of it, in a matter of seconds. The two Gryffindors were chatting about Quidditch, as the Hufflepuffs bickered about a Herbology project that was apparently assigned by Mrs. Joo. And that let Baekhyun with the Ravenclaw student.

All of the sudden, the boy slammed the book closed, as though he was ready to set it on fire, and not even Baekhyun could help himself from flinching. However, that was nothing compared to the way in which the Hufflepuff beside him, whose identity Baekhyun recalled to be that of Hufflepuff's seeker, Kim Jongin, who reeled like he was hit in the head with a pan.

"What's wrong with you?" Jongin asked in distress, as the Ravenclaw tugged his shoulders into a dismissive shrug. "I didn't know you were such a scaredy cat." He argued back, and Baekhyun followed the tense scene unfold before his eyes, skeptically. Jongin scoffed indignantly and the other boy plopped back onto his seat.

It didn't take Baekhyun much to identify the Ravenclaw, assuming that his name was Kim Junmyeon, the most skilled sixth year at Hogwarts. He was, however, a muggleborn, or what most Slytherins would rather call them, a "mudblood". Baekhyun, however, did not hold any grudges against individuals who belonged to families of muggles, considering the pure―blood, half―blood and muggleborn criteria irrelevant. He was taught to treasure the fact that he was pure―blooded, but was never told to praise his bloodline by bringing the others down.

"You didn't even greet him." Jongin said, his voice thick with accusation as he motioned towards Baekhyun. Junmyeon furrowed his brows into a frown in Jongin's direction, then averted his gaze at the Slytherin student, flashing him a small smile, "Oh, right. Greetings." He said plainly, but Baekhyun didn't even spare him a response.

The other Gryffindor and Hufflepuff didn't bother to greet him either, but Baekhyun recognized both of their faces, and acknowledged that the two had their reasons to not spare him even the most venomous of 'Good morning's. Both Oh Sehun and Kim Jongdae, respectively, had encountered Baekhyun in their fourth year ― Sehun had knocked down a pile of books the Slytherin was carrying, while Jongdae had accidentally entered the Slytherin common room and Baekhyun hexed him involuntarily, thinking that he was one of the jocks.

They were probably scared of him, as well, but Baekhyun did not overthink it and continued eating at an average to slow pace, occasionally letting his shrewd gaze drift across the table they were sat at. So far, his morning didn't go exactly half bad, and it could have been worse ― way worse than that. He was both thankful that he joined the five boys for breakfast, and also wished he stayed in bed for a little while longer.

"Hey, has anyone seen Kyungsoo? I doubt he went to Hogsmeade." Jongin asked all of the sudden, twirling his fork across the plate, poking the omelette. Junmyeon tilted his head in confusion, "I saw him sleeping in the dormitory before I left for breakfast. He just overslept, don't worry too much." He said slyly, discreetly teasing Jongin's curiosity.

As far as Baekhyun was aware, Kyungsoo was also a Ravenclaw sixth year. He was skilled, but lazy most of the time, and thus his talent never received the recognition it deserved. Baekhyun once shared a Herbology class with him, and Kyungsoo fell asleep halfway into the period, with his head buried into a vase. It pretty much seemed like everyone at the table were close friends, which made Baekhyun feel slight anxiety stinging his lungs.

"Baek― Byun." Minseok called, carefully refraining from calling the boy out using his given name, knowing that most students didn't find it appropriate for the ones they didn't interact enough with, and most importantly, didn't regard as close friends, call them by their first name. The eldest paused for a few seconds, probably gathering his thoughts, "Are you planning to introduce yourself to the others as well?" He questioned.

It was clear that Minseok didn't mean to come off as offensive or force the younger student into doing something he wasn't willing to do, and given that Baekhyun was very aware that Minseok had most of the time, besides when he pulled pranks on the second year Hufflepuffs, good intentions, the Slytherin cleared his throat, deciding to finally speak up.

"I'm quite sure everyone at this table knows who I am." He said, his voice thick and somewhat husky. Baekhyun's words didn't roll off his tongue as though he was bragging or boasting, but rather like he was, in fact, pitying the fact that the other five boys were aware of his identity. They nodded their heads, agreeing with him, as Minseok remained quiet.

"Byun Baekhyun. Sixth year. Pure―blooded. Slytherin. Twelve inches, Cedar wood, Dragon core. Patronus Otter." Junmyeon recited, as the plate in front of him vanished, once he had finished eating. The others flashed him confused gazes, but Baekhyun only bothered to nod his head somewhat dismissively, "That's right." He said calmly, placing his fork beside the now―empty plate. No trace of emotion decorated the Slytherin's features.

Junmyeon's comment did not startle Baekhyun, not at all. He was more than aware that the quick―witted Ravenclaw knew pretty much everything that was going on around Hogwarts, and knowing basic information that might seem shocking at first, wasn't necessarily a wonder or a miracle. Especially when Baekhyun was known as Salazar Slytherin's heir, and a soon to be Dark Wizard, as many would attempt at guessing.

The people he sat with were rather interesting, or at least better than those mindless bullies Baekhyun still had to deal with, even after six years of taking in endless insults and far―fetched rumours that he had involuntary memorized, whether he liked it or not. They were also quite popular, as far as he was aware. After all, Baekhyun was antisocial and introverted, not blind, nor deaf.

"Byun, hang out with us more often?" Jongin asked pleadingly. He didn't seem to be mocking the Slytherin, but quite the contrary ― there was nothing but genuineness that could be noticed among his vowels. Baekhyun didn't answer immediately. He stayed quiet, wiping the possible grease belonging to the omelette he had just finished eating, away from his mouth with a napkin.

He had no intent to make friends, nor did he want to spend his time with the popular kids. Besides, Jongdae and Sehun, who were being abnormally quiet, did not seem too interested in seeing Baekhyun again, and the Slytherin, although ignorant, couldn't simply pretend to not be aware that not everyone at the table he was sat at, was enjoying his mere presence.

No―one other than Jongin and possibly Minseok. Junmyeon was clearly judging him, however, and although it was clear that the Ravenclaw wasn't exactly keen on Baekhyun, he didn't really seem to mind his company, given that he was yet again, immersed in reading the book he had previously slammed closed, scaring Jongin off. Baekhyun was more than uncertain of his answer.

"I'll think about it." He said flatly, pushing the chair he sat on backward. Jongin seemed pleased with the answer for the time being, as he flashed the boy a curt, understanding smile, which Baekhyun, although did not reciprocate, was thankful for. The fifth year Hufflepuff was quite okay. Possibly the most 'okay' student at Hogwarts, so far, but the Slytherin had better things to care and think about.

But, still. The rumour about Baekhyun being the heir of Salazar was overstepping it's own boundaries when it came to how fast it was being spread and now, not only the students and teachers of Hogwarts had heard about it, but also locals, Aurors. It went far enough to reach the Ministry of Magic and even the goblins working at Gringotts. And sometimes, Baekhyun himself put his own identity and background under a large question mark.

"I have to go." Minseok claimed apologetically, snapping the Slytherin out of his daze. The seventh year stood up from his seat, smiling softly towards Baekhyun, before waving his hand dismissively and soaring away in the distance, possibly heading towards the Gryffindor common room. Jongdae was quick to also leave, bidding a short goodbye to the group of friends sat at the table.

However, Baekhyun didn't move an inch. He remained still on his chair, as though waiting for something to happen, or for the other three remaining students to leave before him. Jongin was animatedly chatting with Sehun, who occasionally nodded his head, acknowledging the Hufflepuff's words, but visibly more focused on something, or rather said, somebody else. Baekhyun sometimes wondered how it felt. How having friends that cared about your well―being felt.

He told himself to stop being delusional, to stop thinking about all that. In order to have friends, you have to trust them, and Baekhyun was up to doing anything but trust anyone. Especially someone at Hogwarts, where everyone was a traitor, a liar hidden beneath a mask of benevolence and gratitude. Like a Death Eater hidden beneath a mask of an Auror.

Baekhyun finally gave up on thinking about it and cracked the bones of his fingers discreetly, standing up from his seat. "Goodbye." He spoke bluntly, and Jongin waved enthusiastically at him, while Sehun decided that a plain nod would suffice, and Junmyeon was too distracted to notice him leave. The Slytherin walked away, hands shoved in the pockets of his uniform. However, he couldn't help but look back, behind him. And what was unfortunate was that his gaze lingered upon the group of the three remaining students a tad bit too long.

"Watch your step!" a thick voice called out the same moment when Baekhyun felt his own body being slammed against a much bigger one. He kept his composure, his particularities expressing nothing but calmness as he perked his head up to observe who was the absolute fool who had bumped into him. The Slytherin was to notice the red and gold scarf before his blunt gaze landed on the facial features of a possibly younger, yet much taller student.

He had large eyes and his most prominent feature could have easily been considered his big ears which resembled an elf. Or a monkey. It depended on the way in which you looked at them, and Baekhyun would have laughed his arse off at the sight if it weren't for him to had already seen the Gryffindor student around the corridors. He didn't know much about him, other than that he was the captain of the Quidditch team.

Quidditch, in Baekhyun's point of view, was nothing more than an useless, tiring struggle that always managed to make the ones who engaged in such an outrageously dangerous activity waste a significant amount of time. Regardless, strong knowledge or passion concerning Quidditch wasn't required, in order to be aware that the maybe too tall, black haired Gryffindor was the captain of the team. He had heard many Slytherins talk about him in the common room, both well and not so well.

But now, he was facing the younger boy, possibly waiting for an apology coming from him. Baekhyun couldn't possibly acknowledge that he was the one guilty for the so called 'collision' and was entirely certain that the Gryffindor was polite enough to blame it on himself, just to avoid further conflicts. However, that was totally not the case, and even Baekhyun himself grew alarmed.

"Are you going to apologize?" The taller asked accusatory, for sure irritated by Baekhyun's lack of reaction or response. The Slytherin remained quiet, much to the Gryffindor's dismay, who visibly gritted his teeth. He didn't seem like someone to get himself into a serious fight or have anger issues, so Baekhyun couldn't possibly miss the chance to mess around with him, at least the tiniest bit.

"Are you deaf?" He said again, but a little too loud, involuntarily earning the attention of most of the students who were still in the Great Hall. Baekhyun pursed his lips, containing the obvious answer he was about to give the Gryffindor, who was gradually growing more and more annoyed with the older boy. He scoffed in disbelief, as another ten seconds of absolute silence passed. Baekhyun kept quiet.

"You must be kidding me." He muttered, "Who do you think you are?" The Gryffindor interrogated, still irritated. Baekhyun was on the verge of furrowing his brows, but refrained from doing so. It was quite an oddity to find someone at Hogwarts who wasn't aware of who he was. Rather unbelievable. Actually, almost impossible, given that the rumours about him still spread like wildfire around the whole country, even after six long years.

The taller boy looked distressed, frowning almost comically. His entire appearance brought a great comedic relief to the situation either way. Baekhyun suppressed the imminent laughter flooding his rational thinking with difficulty, but eventually gave in. He didn't know why, but it was either because of how uncomfortable the tranquillity was, or out of pity towards the Gryffindor. 

"No." He said plainly, noticing with the corner of his eye that Jongin and Sehun were staring wide―eyed at the scene unfolding before them. The taller boy rolled his eyes, snorting skeptically at Baekhyun who had a deceitful, yet almost invisible grin plastered across his face. It was low of him to get into minor scandals with his underclassmen, but it was, most of the times, worth it.

"You must be missing a few braincells." The Gryffindor said as a matter of fact, and Baekhyun internally agreed with him, although he did not even bother to part his lips to mouth a single word. It was a pathetic mess and the two were arguing with each other for no actual reason at all, which was both alarming and slightly concerning, and also highly comical.

And given that no―one in the Great Hall dared to interject or even attempt to stop the two from engaging even further into the conflict, it seemed like everyone was up for a good laugh, which was more than certainly going to be caused by either Baekhyun, or the stubborn Gryffindor. Or perhaps by both of them. The chances for the latter to happen were rather high, it seemed.

"Thank you for the concern." The Slytherin quipped disdainfully, keeping his gaze locked with the taller student's, in spite of the fact that he had to look up forcefully. "But I assure you that I'm perfectly fine. With the rest of the braincells I currently possess." He then added, arrogance obvious among his honeyed vowels, and waved his hand dismissively, possibly for emphasis on the situation.

Baekhyun usually retreated in time from such conflicts, and did not take the risk to take it too far, but the obliviousness of the Gryffindor was for sure, something he didn't see daily, so taking a slight advantage of the situation would certainly not have hurt too much. Or that was what the Slytherin thought at that very moment.

Besides, there were very slim chances that a real fight would have sparked after two students bumped into each other and one of them refused to apologize, even though both of them knew that it was his fault, and his only. Baekhyun could already tell that the Gryffindor was stubborn and possibly hot―headed, but he considered that since he was given the title of captain of a well rounded and skilled team of sportsmen and sportswomen, he should have had some common sense left.

But it was already rather clear that what the older Slytherin had assumed was rather inaccurate, if not ― entirely wrong. Once he saw the discreet, almost unnoticeable way in which the Gryffindor had slid his hand into the pocket of his uniform, Baekhyun already knew that he was going to pull out his wand and possibly even ... hex him. As silly and immature as it might have sounded.

But Baekhyun was not only quick―witted, but also considerably fast, that being clearly displayed when he rapidly reached for his wand, pointing it rather casually, than threateningly at the younger student who was soon to do the very same. And so the two kept their eyes locked, a wand in their hands, pointing them at each other without hesitation. All that because of a delayed apology on Baekhyun's behalf.

"Are you going to hex me, Byun?" His voice was challenging, and it was visible that he was focusing on the current events, but the way in which the Slytherin's last name rolled off his tongue with so much ease, almost roughly and brutally straightforward, yet also eloquently, made Baekhyun feel both scared of his very own thoughts and conflicted. It was almost like he would have wanted to hear it again. And again. And again. Endlessly. It even made him forget that he had never actually introduced himself to the Gryffindor. 

He did his best hiding the daring 'If the situation requires it.' he had previously got ready to spit out with bitterness on the tip of his tongue, remaining quiet, as the atmosphere stayed as tense as before. The students piled up in the Great Hall were watching with great interest, occasionally exchanging excited whispers with each other. Most certainly placing bets on what would have happened next.

Baekhyun was obviously tempted to cast a spell against the Gryffindor, at least a tiny 'Expelliarmus' or a temporary, entirely inoffensive 'Petrificus Totalus', but the risks were too high. He could have easily gotten himself into trouble, with Headmistress Kang especially. She was already not very keen on Baekhyun in general and a hexing an underclassman for no reason at all wouldn't have really increased his reputation. In no―one's eyes, not only hers.

Besides, the Gryffindor himself seemed too scared to take any action, reluctantly gripping his slightly crooked wand, as he did not dare to break the ferocious eye―contact between the two, that only made the situation worse than it already was. He was probably hesitant to cast any spells, but in the same time, too proud to apologize on the Slytherin's behalf and strut away. It was more than evident.

"This time, I'm not asking out of concern." The taller student stated firmly, referencing Baekhyun's reply from earlier. He finally let himself blink, and the Slytherin did the same, "It's because ... I might hex you." He added, pride tinting his thickly spoken words. The Slytherin let his left brow quirk upwards, both interested and concerned in what the underclassman was suggesting.

He highly doubted that he would have done something like that, but given that he had already said so, and there were other students who were looking forward to what he had previously claimed, the possibility of the Gryffindor to give in to his personal pride, in order to not disappoint the so called 'witnesses' were rather high. Baekhyun grew worried out of the blue. 

"Apologize." The Gryffindor demanded. His tone wasn't necessarily threatening, but it was rather clear that all he was in fact chasing that very moment was the 'audience's attention and their reactions to what was going to happen. Either sooner or later ― it was, after all, an inevitable consequence of their heedless banter, which couldn't be avoided by any of the two. Baekhyun contained a skeptical scoff.

He pressed his lips against each other, in the attempt to mimic that he was thinking about the taller's demand, even tapping his chin exaggeratedly. "Hmm..." He mused ironically, "Let me think about it ... no." The Slytherin eventually added, his final answer predictable. He was genuinely not planning on apologizing to the one threatening him to hex him just because of a minor bump. It would have been outrageous.

"Then you leave me no choice." The Gryffindor said offhandedly, the grip upon his wand tightening suddenly. Baekhyun was certain that the younger would not have gone so far, but given that he was wrong all along, it seemed like it was also a little too late for him to react. " Expelliarmus!" The younger exclaimed, a wake of dark blue light shooting out of it's tip and rapidly heading towards the Slytherin.

Baekhyun had, however, enough time to cast a minor spell used for protection, mouthing out the 'Protego', rather than use his wand to do it. He was, in no way, skilled at wandless magic, but it was worth trying. The Expelliarmus the Gryffindor had evoked was not significantly powerful, and the protection spell used by Baekhyun, together with somewhat dodging the dash of blue light, seemed to have been enough to keep himself unharmed.

The taller student could not help but tilt his head to the side, probably surprised by the sudden display of skill coming from Baekhyun, who still couldn't believe that he had succeeded in casting a wandless spell. However, it looked like it would not have been enough for the Slytherin to dodge the spells for the time being ― given that the Gryffindor was totally not done.

"Bombarda!" Another wake of a similar coloured light left his wand, but instead of heading towards Baekhyun, it travelled down to his feet, causing a light explosion, similar to a two seconds long earthquake beneath the Slytherin's feet. He was quick to lose his balance and his arms involuntarily slung over a nearby chair, so he could regain his support. The other boy seemed pleased, especially when some of the students in the Great Hall began chanting his name or gasping, stunned by how quick he was. 

Baekhyun, on the other hand, did not let any emotions engulf his thoughts, in spite of the fact that he was obviously angered because he had managed to make a fool out of himself yet again, but this time in front of a student who was inconveniently also one year younger than him. But that did not mean that he could ignore the rage and disappointment building up inside his body. He had to fire back. To put an end to such a pathetic fight.

"Petrificus totalu―"

"Expelliarmus!"

Before he could cast the spell against his opponent, he felt his wand fly out of his grip. However, much to both his surprise and relief, it seemed like the Gryffindor ended up wandless as well, confusion written all over his features. Baekhyun instinctively turned on his heels, before comprehending the source of the sudden spell that left both students unable to continue their duel.

Junmyeon stood behind Baekhyun, holding the two wands belonging to the duelists in his left hand and his own, in his right one. Oh right, it must have been him ― after all, hexing another student in front of a Head Boy and previous Prefect wasn't exactly a smart move. Luckily, the Ravenclaw did not seem too angry, but rather relieved that he had managed to put an end to the conflict before things could have gone worse.

"Show's over. You may all leave now, I still have to have a word with both Mister Byun and Mister Park." He said cooly, and the other students proceeded into whining about how much they wanted to witness the way in which the fight would have ended and who the winner would have been. However, after receiving a calm warning from the Head Boy, all of them, including Jongin and Sehun, left the Dining Room.

Baekhyun was anything but scared that moment, unlike the Gryffindor who had a pleading puppy expression plastered across his face. He was angry that he couldn't do more to prove what he was capable of, disappointed in his lack of reaction and also in the fact that he let himself get into such a useless conflict that could have ended painfully if it wasn't for the Ravenclaw to interject. 

Junmyeon cleared his throat, still keeping the two wands in his hand, not bothering to hand them back to the two other students ― probably because he could not take the risk to get them to fight each other yet again. "I hope you're aware that what you've done broke at least twenty Hogwarts rules." He began, gazing at the two 'duelists'. The Gryffindor nodded his head obediently, while Baekhyun remained quiet.

"As the Head Boy, I'm in charge of informing Headmistress Kang about this. And I recommend you tag along." He added. He was probably not regretting the fact that he had to practically turn the two boys in, given that he was quite proud of his title and his overall duties, and Baekhyun could easily tell that Junmyeon would have, without hesitation engaged in an even more violent duel ― if it weren't for his Head Boy and former Prefect titles, as well as his goody―two shoes and teacher's pet type of attitude. 

The Gryffindor nodded his head dumbly again at his words, guilt visible in his eyes. Baekhyun complied, following the Ravenclaw out of the Great Hall. He was in trouble, and not any type of trouble. Big trouble, and he knew that. But he also knew that it was entirely his fault in first place. And still, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. Maybe it was because he had managed to cast a wandless spell. Or because of the Gryffindor boy. Or maybe both.

But Baekhyun knew the actual answer.


End file.
